The Habsburgs : The Rise and Fall of a World Power

'This is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language, certainly the best I have ever read ... Students, scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history'
— Alan Sked, Times Literary Supplement

In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built — and then lost — over nearly a millennium.

From modest origins, the Habsburgs rose in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century. Then, within just a few decades, their possessions expanded rapidly, encompassing:

• A large part of Europe, stretching from Hungary to Spain.
• Territories from the Far East to the New World.

The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War.

A Complex Yet Enduring Empire

With its seemingly disorganized mass of large and small territories, its tangle of laws and privileges, and its medley of languages, the Habsburg Empire has often appeared haphazard and incomplete. Yet, Martyn Rady reveals the reasons for the family's incredible endurance:

• A belief in their destiny to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Their role as guarantors of peace and patrons of learning.

A Dynasty of Contrasting Characters

The Habsburg emperors themselves were astonishingly varied in character:

• From warlords to contemplatives.
• From clever to stupid.
• From idle to frenzied.

Yet, they were all united by a shared sense of family mission.

Scattered across the globe, countless buildings, institutions, and works of art continue to bear witness to the overwhelming impact of this remarkable dynasty.

The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a dynasty that, for better or worse, shaped Europe and the world.